Reliving the Moment
by LeMed
Summary: Will Cloud be able to face what he has done? Cloud's journey starting with square one. It is here, where Cloud and Reno have their ups and downs. Rated M for language and content. Please read and review! No flaming about Yaoi pairing lemon. Cloud X Reno.
1. Start of a New Life

Disclaimers: I don't own Reno or Cloud or any other characters (wish I did, don't we all? ;).) If you don't like the smuttiness, (later chapters) please just leave.

Also, some dialogs that I take are in fact from the original game. All credits go to Square Soft / Square Enix. If you're not old enough, leave as well. You have been warned.

Chapter 1: Start of a New Life.

"You're not getting away!" The guards run after us as we jump off the train.

It's hella freezing I tell ya. My name's Cloud. Cloud Strife. Never thought I would be working with AVALANCHE, but I guess I have no other choice. Gil isn't something that you can just find around these days. It's been quite a while since I've done anything for money. I quit my last job a few years ago.

"You're running a lil' slow boy, hurry up!" I don't even know who and what I'm working for. Apparently, _he's_ my new boss.

"So what exactly are we doing?" I ask one of the others. They seem reluctant to answer me, as if we're doing something that's not to be talked about. And finally, one of them says that we're on a bombing mission. Whatever works. I just want to go home with my gil.

We creep in the mako reactor, and it takes me a while to understand what _exactly_ I'm about to do. "Why are we blowing this reactor up?"

"I thought you work for your money," my new boss had a point. I guess I shouldn't ask. We continue to climb the stairs, and walk the walk, until we reach our destination. We have 10 minutes before the bomb detonates, and we find ourselves ambushed by a Scorpion.

" w'the hell's that?" my boss yells. I've seen them before…

"_This will be your first __test,, I guess you can call it." Training, because I was about to join SOLDIER, was NOT easy. I guess it was the Turks' job to teach me. "Remember, if you're in trouble, we've given you 'exit' materia, just use it, and you'll be out in no time." I didn't care about what they were saying, I just didn't want to be a loser. I wanted to win. There was no other materia except the 'wimp' materia. Fighting with a sword against a huge monster like that was not what I had expected as an 'easy' battle. I attacked it as hard as I could, but every time it would attack back with laser. _

"_Yo! Just a hint, you might not wanna attack it when its tail's up" A Turk turned on the speaker to tell me. Haha. Very funny. Now they think I'm an idiot. I ignored his call, and attacked it until… … I fell unconscious… That was when I met __him_

"Don't attack while its tail's up. It'll hurt if you do." I regained my posture and thought as I said those words expertly. Damn right. I'm an expert now. We quickly ended the battle with ease, and for my boss, he got a new gun. I never asked about his arm. Why it was the way it was. He never told me either, I guess we just left it as that.

"Let's go, we don't have a lot of time."

"Yeah." I returned. It was easy on the way out, although I did have the 10 minute timer at the back of my head. The girl who helped me out earlier introduced herself. Her name's Jesse. But right now she's stuck. Out of the goodness of my heart, or whatever they call it, I reach out to help her. She immediately turns into a shade of bright red and thanks me. Not that I was interested in her, but she isn't that bad looking.

* * *

We're going back to base to discuss our second bombing mission. And as we arrive, Tifa opens the door, and greets us into her bar --- 7th Heaven.

"How did it go?" Tifa asks us. I reply smoothly and she seems satisfied. Up to this point, I don't know why I'm still with AVALANCHE. Am I here to see Tifa…? No. That can't be. I'm here for the money, I convince myself. Or is it…

"_I hate you!" I yelled out at him. _

"_C'mon… I'm sorry babe, I was bored… and we never do anything anymore, you know?"_

* * *

I wake up next morning to find that most of them are gone. I step on the pinball-elevator and sees Tifa. She greets me with a 'good morning.' And I do the same. She asks me if I remembered what I had said before I left her… a few years ago. I can't remember, but I nod. She puts a smile on her face, and I feel a little guilty.

We are going to Sector 5, Barret tells us.

Tifa blurts out to me suddenly, "You'll protect me… right? Like you promised… right?" That stumps me, as I quickly regain the memories we had together.

"_Sorry, I'm late; You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"_

"_Come this spring, I'm leaving for Midgar. I probably won't come back… for a while."_

"_All the boys are leaving…"_

"_But I'm different. I'm going to join SOLDIER and be like… the Great Sephiroth." I could see that she was sad._

"_Promise me something Cloud. If you get famous and I'm ever in a bind… You'll come save me, all right?"_

"_Huh? What?"_

"_If I'm ever in trouble, my hero will save me. I want to experience that…" I was dumbstruck… I knew what she meant… But that was unexpected._

"_Come on! Promise me!"_

"_Alright… I promise."_

Yeah. I promise, I tell Tifa. We hop on the back railroad car, with our fake ID's. The train is fairly empty, just how I like it. I attempt to start conversation, but instead I just walk up to Tifa casually, and she points at screen and asks me to watch it with her. Nothing new. Just a digital map of Midgar. I've seen a lot of those back when I was working with _you_.

Just as we were discussing about where security ID checks are located on the map, the alarm goes off. The few of us try to run towards the front of the train when this bastard pickpocket me. I push him over and take back my potion. No time for fighting, the sirens were getting louder and louder. We plan our hops together and leap off the train, landing in the tunnel outside Sector 4.

We climb in together, and ahead of us are Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge, having the path all planned out. (By the way, I learned their names through Barret's scolding, you should've seen their faces!) It was just as smooth as the other reactor, and we quickly find ourselves at the core of the reactor of Sector 5. This time, no Scorpion. Boy, am I glad.

It isn't the same though… It seems all too smooth. Tifa and I are discussing what to do next, and before we can come to a conclusion, we bump into ShinRa.

"What the hell's going on?" Barret exclaims in disbelief, knowing too well that the ShinRa cannot have missed this opportunity.

"Long time no see, President." I walk up to him with indifference.

"Long time?... Oh you, I know you've been exposed to Mako with those blue eyes." I couldn't stand him any longer, especially with Barret talking more nonsense. "I'm a very busy man, I have a dinner to attend. But I've made arrangements for a playmate for you all." And there goes the President, leaving us alone with a techno-soldier, Air Buster.

We surround the machine, or rather, it just turns out that way that Tifa and Barret are on the same side, and I am stuck on the opposite. Barret and I time both our attacks to maximize our damage dealt. It doesn't take a lot of hits to take down the machine, seeing that I _am _from SOLDIER.

"Watch out!" Tifa yells, but it's too late. The machine explodes, and makes a hole in the bridge, where I fall.

* * *

I wake up, and find myself in a somewhat comfortable flowerbed. And this girl watches over me. "A comfy bed and a pretty girl, what more do I want?" I lie to myself, knowing exactly what I want now.

"Hello." The girl calls out. I don't reply, seeing that I'm still in shock. "You came crashing down… Are you ok?"

"Where am I?" Where could I be? I couldn't possibly be dead yet.

"You're in a Church in the Sector 5 slum."

"I… came crashing down…?"

"That's what I said."

"Are these your flowers?" She nods. "Sorry to have wre--"

"It's alright, it's not your fault. They say you can't grow flowers or grass for that matter in Midgar. But they seem to do fine in here. I love it here." She starts to talk, stopping me before I could finish. She continues to talk, and talk about her material. She claims that it's good for nothing; but I doubt it. Every materia has some use, and it depends on its user. I guess she's just not very good with materia. While she talks, she tends to her flowers; it reminds me of my mother.

"_I'm leaving home mom." _

"_All the boys are these days… Don't get yourself hurt." She told me while working on her indoor flowers. "You're just like these flowers I have… Hard to take care of, you know? You ought to take care of yourself; I can't always be there for you." And that was all it took, and I left._

I get back to reality, and notices that she is kindly offering me flowers to which I hesitate to accept, but I do. And I thank her for it. We continue to talk and forget that we haven't introduced ourselves yet. So she was first, "I'm Aeris, the flower girl, nice to meet you."

And I reply lamely, "My name's Cloud, and me? I do a bit of everything." I see her looking over my shoulder and she says, "Do you want to be my bodyguard?"

I don't know what she meant. I turn around and I immediately feel… nauseated.

* * *

A/N: sorry it seems like I'm repeating the whole FF7 story, but that's cuz we haven't met Reno yet. Most of my story is really based on the real game, with added stuff here and there! Please Review! Thanks! 


	2. Memories

Chapter 2: Memories

"Well, well, if it isn't Reno. How many times has it been that you've failed?" My boss asks me. Ugh. What I wouldn't give to have him disappear. It's not that I don't want to have that Ancient captured. She's sneaky, alright. I admit it; a girl outsmarts me.

And besides, I'm having my own problems too. That spiky chocobo head… forget it. "You better not fail again this time. President isn't too happy about the consistency of your failure, you know? I bet even Rufus can't save your ass this time." Rufus. Rufus. Rufus. It's all your damn fault. Why'd you come in that night…?

"_Reno… Open up." _

"_Goddamnit Rufus, you're drunk again?" I said as I opened the door for him. My room isn't much compared to his, but it's comfortable enough._

"_Oh man… Did you know? Do you know that… it's my birthday today…?" Shit. Was it? I must've forgotten. But my train of thought was interrupted by him puking all over my carpet. _

"_Fuck yo!" Man, this isn't a pretty sight. "Man, just sleep in my bed, I'll get this cleaned up." I went to the washroom and started looking for towels. I was frustrated by just knowing how bad the mess is, and suddenly Rufus comes in. _

"_Reno, I love you." What the fuck? "Come." I was so mesmerized; I didn't know what to do. I just followed him. He stumped across the room, and finally made it to the bed. He pulled me down towards him, and pushed me down on my bed. He held me down tight, and started kissing me frantically. That puke-breath of his, man… Horrible taste. I tried pushing him off, but half of myself wanted to give in. After a few unsuccessful tries, it was now me who kissed him passionately with hunger. I haven't done anything like this for a while; it's somewhat refreshing to do it with someone new. We kissed for so long that I couldn't bear it anymore. I took off my pants, and he quickly followed, except his attempt was really futile. I helped him undo his belt and pulled down his pants; and inevitably, we started grinding our bodies together._

"_Reno," He moaned. I couldn't help but smile at that mischievous look of his. I took the lube from my bed-drawer and started to work on him and myself. We continued passionately kissing and grinding, and I got too lazy to finish lubing him up. I turned him around, and starting mindlessly screwing him. _

_And it was then that I heard the door click. And even in the dim light, I saw the chocobo head. And a second later, the figure was gone with the door left open. Damn I shouldn't have given him the keycard._

"Well? Are you going to get her or no?" Tseng continues, interrupting me.

"You know I'm just gonna screw up, why don't you go get her?" I tease.

"Well?" He says in a deeper, more frightening kind of tone, but you could still see the red flushing face of his. I heave a sigh in defeat, and tell him that this is my last try and if I mess up, he might as well send Rude or something; he _is_ better with girls. So I grab my EMR, my goggles, and my keys and hop on the _Heli_. I assign three Troopers to go to the Church of the Slums, hoping that we'll see her there. She's always there attending her flowers.

* * *

"Aeris… Run!" I yell. Why did we have to confront him here? 

"Cloud, I'm not leaving you alone; I know an escape route, follow me." I follow her, hoping that she really knows what she is doing. We run across some stairs, and up the ladder we go, I tell her to follow me now as I jump across the wooden rails on the roof. She tries and follows, but slips and falls all the way down. Sigh, girls.

The ShinRa Troops quickly runs up, not missing their opportunity, and Aeris yells, "Cloud! Help!" I tell her to hold on, but I'm stuck, not literally, but mentally I am. I swear to god, I'm not going back down there, so I decide to push the brown wooden barrel, aiming carefully. It knocks out two of the three soldiers, and Aeris is forced to fight the third by herself. Amazing, I find that she's pretty good at handling herself. She expertly dodges the attacks, and attacks her opponent swiftly with her staff.

When we settle down, and she comes up by herself, taking her time, we realize that Reno of the Turks is gone. And all the possibilities of why he is gone are countless in my mind.

We walk slowly together, Aeris and I, not having a destination in particular.

"Don't you have to go home?" I ask her. She tells me that she has no curfew and not to worry. And that she likes to stay out here. I enjoy the company… I haven't had company like this for a long time. It isn't like _he_ is good company. At most, he's good in bed; I'll give him that.

"Whatcha thinking?" Aeris asks me. We're both really bored, and just sitting on top of the building few blocks away from the church we ran away from.

"Nothing."

"You want to come to my place?" Wow. I just met this girl, and she wants me in her house already. But I don't deny the offer, I want a place to rest; so I agree and follow her. We walk and walk and suddenly she blurts out, "Thanks, earlier. I don't know what they're after me for."

"So that wasn't your first time?" I ask, surprised. She shakes her head and tells me that it's about the eighth time now, and every time, it's that same Turk. Eight times, huh. Reno, you're a disgrace. I chuckle inside. She catches me and asks me what's so funny. I tell her that the Turk must be bad if it takes him that many tries and not being able to succeed.

"Hey! It's not his fault, I'm just good." She says to defend herself. And I remind her that it was me, today, who saved her.

We finally arrive to her house. It's gorgeous. I walk around the garden myself while Aeris had to do a little explaining, and I admire the view. The red flowers, the orange, the yellow, and the white; all blend in together so nicely… just like…

"_It's your birthday today, isn't it?" How'd he know? "I was just wondering… you know? Maybe you'd want to come and crash at my place?" How do I reject that…?_

_I followed this semi-stranger. Well, not really. I remembered that he's the Turk who was in charge of my training. Apparently, he knew Zack as well. It took us a while to reach his level in the ShinRa building. Level A3. The floor for the Turks, unreachable by stairs. _

"_Follow me." He opened the door to his room, and it was pitch black. I went in and he closed the door. My heart was beating. The lights turned on, and Zack was there, standing beside a nicely-made cake, "Happy Birthday!" _

_I was still quite shocked… There were two, or three, more other Turks, that I didn't recognize. But apparently they were there for the party. _

"_Zack said he wanted to use my room for your birthday, I'd figure that we can just have a huge party together, ya?" The redhead seemed friendly, but all too friendly. He came up to me and said, "Hey, you know, this is not much of a present or anything, but here you go." It was a necklace, with a shining materia, which shone with bright crimson and tangerine yellow. I stared at it, and still wondered why he would give me such a thing. "Zack said that you would like it." I looked over to Zack, and he gave me a wink. A wink I knew too well._

"You coming in?" Aeris comes out of the house, interrupting my thought. She says mother

Is okay with it and that I can stay for the night.

I don't waste a lot of time. I thank her mother and Aeris for letting me stay, and find a room to sleep in. When I prepare to go to bed, Aeris knocks on the bedroom door.

"Ya?" I reply, suggesting that it's okay for her to come in, and so she does. She says good night, and that she knows that I'll be leaving tomorrow. She asks me to wake her up, so she could give me a goodbye or something. I tell her good night, and I start to doze off.

"_I see you're wearing it." He pointed out that I had the necklace sticking out. I loved this necklace. I'm not sure was it because Reno gave it to me, or Zack said that I would like it. Nonetheless, Zack's not here anymore, and I'm with Reno. I take it in my hand and stare at the wondering colours that seem to change over time. From honey yellow, to a soothing orange, and to a __hint of lime green. And without warning, I threw him a hug._

_"What the hell, yo?" He pushed me off, like he always did. He never liked signs of affection, especially out in the open. "Let's go get a drink," he asked me, and I was fine with it. I wasn't going to be all bothersome that night, I just wanted to spend some time with him. We hadn't been together for very long. I was training for SOLDIER, and he was the leader for our trainee-group. I was on my mission with Zack after that and didn't see Reno for a while. Shortly after Reno gave me this necklace, Zack had his accident. But I didn't remember much of it, I was with him, and the next thing I knew, he was gone. Dead in front of me. I was so confused… and now here with Reno. _

* * *

I wake up to the sound of the birds outside. It's rare to hear the birds chirping away, especially in the slums of Midgar. I slowly walk down the stairs, careful not to wake Aeris up, and I approach the living room. I thank Aeris' mother and then I leave the house. I need a way to get back to AVALANCHE. I really want my money. I start to walk towards the direction of Sector 7, and mid-way to there, I realize that I had forgotten my sword. I turn around, and I bump into an enormous object. What the hell? It was a Hell House, and not having my weapon, I try to evade battle, but it's no use. I left all my materia on the sword and I'm stuck here with a huge house that moves. Now I know why Tifa fights with her fists. 

The monster rams me down with multiple attacks as I have nothing with me. I can't stop the attacks, but I do try to fend off most of the attacks by blocking with my arms. I punch it as hard as I can, and all it does is flinch a bit. It walks up to me and drops right on me, giving me a huge headache. I feel dizzy and soon realize that my wounds are bleeding badly and my whole body starts aching. I fall down, and a few seconds later, I see my enemy running towards me and I fall unconscious.

* * *

A/N: . Sorry, slow update. Please Review! Cloud's a little weak huh. But don't worry, he's a dynamic character P. He'll soon change… for the better… or worse? 


	3. Brilliant Ideas

Chapter 3: Brilliant Ideas

"Wake up! Are you alright?" A familiar voice says to me. "Why'd you leave?" I am relieved to know that it's Aeris here. In her mother-know-it-all posture, she scolds, "You shouldn't have left me this morning! You know I could get worried…" And I start to tune her out… man…

"_Why'd you leave last night?" He f__ound me in a bar late at night the next day._

"_What am I supposed to do? Walk in while you were fucking your boss?" I yelled at him. The whole bar turned around and paid us all their attention. I didn't care though, I waited for him for the whole day to come to me and explain, but I just ended up sitting here, until now._

"_Cloud…"_

"_What!" God, I was pissed. What was he trying to prove? Next thing I know, he pulled me from my chair and out the back door. He rammed me against the wall, and we started to kiss, locking our lips together. He was feeling me up, and I instantly felt aroused. The only problem was…_

_I pushed him off._

"_What, yo?" He was annoyed, I could tell. _

"_What is this? Some kind of make-up for yesterday? Is this what you do to everyone else who finds out that you're fucking with another guy?" Did I sound pissed or what. _

"_That's not it, I'm here because I really do care about you."_

"_Bullshit. I hate you!" I yelled out at him._

"_C'mon… I'm sorry babe, I was bored… and we never do anything anymore, you know?"_

_And I ran off into the dark. _

"Are you even listening to me?" Still in her worried and angered voice. I tell her I'm sorry and that I'm still a little dizzy from that fight. "Oh, sorry!" She takes out a potion and hands it to me to drink. I guess that worked in stopping her nagging. "Hold on, I'll grab you something to eat." And she left the room.

When she did, I immediately recognize this room. The same red-orange walls, the comfy single bed, and a scent of watermelon soap. Same room I was in last night. She walks in the room with some cooked meat and bread. "You can eat whatever you feel like." I start eating and feel thirsty, and I motion my hand so she understands. "Oh sorry!" And she starts off the bed. "Oh you know… When I found you this morning, that same Turk tried to take you away. He told me he was no harm, but trying to kidnap me first, and now you? I fought him, and he just ran off." And she leaves the room.

Was it… Reno? Same Turk? It has to be! I jump off the bed, despite my appetite and my wounds, and run down the flight of stairs. Aeris yells, "Where are you going?" I ignore her and run back to where I was before, and not to my surprise, no one's there.

This place looks really beaten up. But there is one that catches my eye. The cat-looking slide made for little kids… It brings back memories.

_We sat beside each other, on top of the playground, on top of everyone._I was only 13 then. I had already known Zack. _"Zack promise me, don't ever leave without me alright?" I said. I didn't know why, but I was always so attached to Zack. And he never minded it. _

"_Ya, ya." He held my hand, and that gave me a feeling; one that I could never forget. I didn't know what it was that time, and after that day, I was always with him, no matter what._

_It just occurred to me though, after a few days, he had left town. I tried looking for him, where his parents and he used to live. But, they no longer were there. I heard rumors that he had left town with his parents to go back to where they originally came from, Gongaga. That was… half a continent away. I couldn't bear having him leave like that. What's more, I couldn't bear having him lie to me about staying with me._

"Hey! You forgot your sword again!" Aeris runs up behind me, holding the heavy sword while catching her breath. "You don't want me to go with you, do you."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind some company at all." I say selfishly. I just didn't want to be alone right now. She asks me to follow her, and I do; up the slide and we're both sitting there, talking about our childhood. I become accustomed to her company, and I actually do like her very much, except she is one heck of a mother figure.

We hear a noise of a cart and we turn around to see a cart pulled by a chocobo pass by us. I immediately recognize the figure, and I yell out, "Tifa!"

"Where are they heading to?" I ask Aeris who seems to know this place pretty well. I soon learn that we're heading towards Wall Market, following that cart as close as we could without being spotted.

"_Promise me something Cloud. If you get famous and I'm ever in a bind… You'll come save me, all right?"_

I'll come and save you alright, I tell myself. We run through the whole market and Tifa was no where to be seen. I start to lose hope, and we finally reach the end. We reach a mansion which its door is guarded by a guy.

"Do you think we should try?" Aeris asks as we're just staring at the door from far away, lost at what we should be doing next.

"We have to try, we--… I have to save Tifa." I stutter.

"We." She reassures me. I return a smile, and we both walk up to the man and ask for entrance. "Do you think we coul--"

"Hey baby, of course you can come in. But you," pointing at me, "Out." The guard finishes. "The Don does not want guys." That sends a shiver down my spine.

Aeris pulls me aside and asks, "Do you want me to go in to look for Tifa?" Obviously, I reject that suggestion at once. One, Tifa's not gonna know who she is. Two, I'm not gonna risk her. Three, well… I'm supposed to be the one to save Tifa, right? "Then what do you want me do," she snaps back.

"Well?" The impatient guard says. I'm thinking hard, trying to think of a way so I could get in. And in the midst of thought,

"Hey, I have a _hot_ friend I want to bring along; do you think you could wait a little?" Aeris asks. Of course, guys will always be guys, and the man at the door nods. "Well, Cloud, this is it." I ask her what she was thinking while we're walking away, and how the heck are we supposed to find another girl? A _hot_ girl. "Don't worry Cloud," she reassures me again, "we're gonna make _you_ into a _hot chick_."

"What the fuck?" I blurt out randomly. Well not randomly, I mean what the hell is she thinking, seriously. I should have never brought her along. I start to get angry and all, but what am I supposed to do. That know-it-all is right. I have to pretend, _pretend_, to be a girl to get in. Sigh…

"_You're such a girl," Reno remarked while clipping his nails. _

"_Pssh, you're the one to talk," I snapped back. I didn't mind, actually, whatever made him happy. It's weird how I became attached to him. It was… sorta something that just happened. After Zack, it was all hazy, and all I remembered was waking up one day, being in him room, and having him ask me how was last night._

_Seriously… what were we doing…_

"Ok. Let's do it." I give a smile, a mischievous one, of course. We move from store to store, and we finally find a dressmaker. Or at least, the dressmaker's daughter. "He's not in right now, probably drinking his life away again." She sighs, "Do you think you could bring him back here? He'd make a dress for… you." She starts chuckling.

"No problem," Aeris replies and drags me out. We walk to the bar that we previously had visited. It is quite empty, but true enough, the dressmaker is there. "Let me handle this," Aeris gives me a wink. A shiver went down my back.

"Excuse me sir," The drunken man looks up and his eyes turn wide. He holds Aeris' body close and asks her what she needs.

"Hey!" I yell. But Aeris nods and I think she means it's okay. I feel bad for making her do this. Well I didn't make her, she's doing it for Tifa, and for me, I guess. But I turn away, couldn't bear the look of the scene. I start to eavesdrop, but all I can hear is mumbling. I turn back to them and see Aeris continuing her explanation. What explanation? How the heck do I know. Finally, I see the man nod a few times and slowly releasing his grip on her.

He gives me a weird look.

"What?" What does he want now.

"Hmm… This shouldn't be hard. I've actually always wanted to try something like this." The man pays his bill and leaves the bar.

"See I told you it would work!" The flower girl says.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised if you told him you would have sex with him. Seriously." I flare back at her. She immediately turns three shades redder.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long update. School and stuff… err… getting on my nerves! Hope you enjoy, and please review! 


	4. Uncertainty

Chapter 4: Uncertainty

"_Zack."_

"_Reno?"_

"_You sure we should give him this necklace?"_

"_Up to you… you want him don't you?"_

"_Yeah… Tonight then?"_

"_Tonight."_

"WHAT? Just because your lover-boy was there, doesn't mean you can ditch your work." Tseng screamed, as usual. To be honest, I was quite surprised to see him at the church with the flower girl… And how they all of a sudden got so intimate… bodyguard, eh? Who do you think _you _are Cloud.

_I saw Cloud lying on the floor, having his ass beaten by a Hell House. I quickly jumped into battle and all it took was a hit from my EMR, I wonder how Cloud failed to kill that thing, having been in SOLDIER. I looked around the beaten place, where ladders and the swings were all wrecked, for his sword, but it didn't seem to app__ear. The only thing that looked like it was still intact was that slide, the cat looking slide that children used to play on. _

"_Poor Cloud," I thought, but this was going to end, and he's coming back with me, I thought again. But that thought didn't last long. The flower girl appeared out of nowhere. Perfect. My chance for a double kill. I'll just talk her into this… it'll be easy, like with Cloud… heh… Without another thought she struck me with her staff._

"_What the fuck, yo?" __She hit me continuously, ignoring the fact that I was talking to her. She hit me hard again and I was knocked 180 degrees around, holding my arms up for protection._

_That's it. H__olding my EMR fully charged, I turned around and swung as hard as I could. But I hit nothing. They weren't there anymore. Wow?_

* * *

"This food is delicious!" Aeris mumbles as she finishes her plate. All I'm worried about is Tifa. "Why don't you eat your food?" I stare at her, and I shrug, hopefully she gets the point. Without another movement needed to be made, she takes my plate and starts eating it too. Boy, can she eat.

It's quite interesting to have met her through my mishaps. Or rather, through hers with her encounter with the Turks…. Yes, Turks. But hey, I can't say much, we helped each other quite a bit. She's a good girl. "Hey, Aeris, do you think we'll be good enough-- or I'll be good enough to go in that mansion?"

"No."

"What?"

"Well, what did you expect; your hair is anything but a girl's."

"What should I do? Make is straight down? It's long enough for it I hope…"

"Maybe. You wanna go try it?" Is she for serious? I cringe at the sight of my hair looking like Reno's after the shower, except his is red.

We leave the bar and was kindly give a coupon for the pharmacy, like we would _ever_ need it. Our next stop is the barber shop, where the owner greets us in a generous manner. "So who's up for a cut today?" I tell her enough to make her understand, but that's not a lot, really. "Look like a girl, eh? I can do that for you."

She tells me she'll be right back and instructs me to close my eyes for the surprise and I do, letting my mind wander.

"_Haha, you'll never need a haircut, don't change__ your hair, that's how I found out that you were here anyway." Zack said playfully. So he was in SOLDIER I thought._

"_Why'd you just leave… Nibelheim?" I confronted him. _

"_Sorry, ya? Parents wanted to go back, but you know me, I've always wanted to join SOLDIER. And here I am. And so are you. I guess you followed me here?" To be honest, he was half-right. I did want to join to see whether he was here or not. _

"Alrighty!" The owner said. _What the fuck _is all that is going through my mind right now. What the heck did she do? I died a little inside, mourning for my once-perfectly-sculptured hair.

"PFFFT" Aeris is laughing so hard, it's getting on my nerves. "What on Earth is that! Good thing I came prepared." She gives me a smile. She hands the owner some gil and takes out this wig. "Here you go." Better than what I have right now, I let myself think. "Now you're perfect. Hair, and let's go get the dress."

We take a slow stroll, looking at the _terrific_ scenery of the slums. "You know, I've always wondered how it would be, leaving Midgar." I ask her did she know where she wanted to go to if she did leave Midgar. "Not really," was all that I got.

"How about this. After we're done doing all this crap, you know, I'll take you to some place you've never been before." That's very nice of me.

"Are you serious? That would be lovely! Okay, let's go get your dress now." How easy is it to make a girl happy. Our slow stroll finally ends and we arrive at the dress shop. I ask for something that's soft and shimmery and _Tada_, a silk dress. What is about to happen is NOT expected.

"Wheew Wheew" The man who made the dress whistles. "A full blown chick. You can seriously go to the Honey Bee Inn and get a few customers." I don't know what he's thinking, but heh… I must look nice. "A tip though, if you do, go get some perfume. A girl without perfume, well… let's just end it with that."

"Thanks a lot, how much is it?" I ask.

"One night." My ears bled. "I'm just kidding. 350 Gil." I must have been beet red.

* * *

"Reno?" My boss came in. My semi-real boss.

"Yo." I give him.

"Is that how you greet your superiors?" Rufus asks, annoyed.

"Umm… when did you get so bossy?" I kid him, taking no particular interest in this talk. Cloud… Where the hell are you?

"_Zack… You never… liked him?" _

"_Reno… come on. You know for a fact that I'm not into that kind of stuff."_

"_But…" I continued._

"_Reno, seriously. You both know that it's gonna change after we give him that necklace. It'll be fun, watching you two get along."_

"_Oh shut up Zack, you can join too if you want."_

_Zack suddenly spat out what he was eating. "Are you sure you wouldn't be jealous?" He winks._

"_Fuck off."_

* * *

A/N: sorry for the late update. Cough. I've been at school and all that… really busy. Hope you enjoyed the chapter :P. Oh btw, I'm planning to either change the first person view thing… or maybe make the story past tense or smth. It's getting hard to write haha.

Oh please! Review!


	5. Dream

Disclaimers: I hadn't had these yet, I don't think so here it goes! Don't read if you don't like homosexual content. I don't own anything, just a chain of thoughts of what COULD've happened. Again, don't like, don't read.

Cloud: What do you mean don't like. READ READ READ!

Reno: Shh, let him finish.

Me: I'm done.

Reno: Oh.

* * *

Chapter 5: Dream

We walk together to the bar for a drink. Aeris says that she's thirsty after all that food, no kidding!

"Did you hear the dressmaker…? I'm supposed to have some perfume." I whisper, not being too loud, "do you have some with you right now?"

"Yes Cloud. I bring a whole bottle of perfume wherever I go." Aeris mocks.

"Shut up."

"The lady over there seems to having some problems, want to go check her out?" Aeris says in concern. I give her a shrug, what I really want is to get that perfume. But Aeris ignores me and she goes to the lady "over there". Gah.

"Help me… Help me…" The lady with a few extra pounds begins, "I just came out of the washroom… my stomach…"

"What did you eat?" Aeris asks her.

"Just… some bread and pasta and this-and-that, whatnot." The lady says in pain.

"Maybe it's all the food you ate…"

"You ate a lot of food too, I don't see you crying for mommy," I laugh at Aeris. The lady gives me a weird look, like she didn't understand something.

"Oh be quiet! This is important. Hey… we got that coupon for the pharmacy right? Maybe we can help this lady out. I'm sure it's something we could do. Maybe we can ask her where we could get perfume after ok? Oh and remember, you're a _girl_, not a _guy_. So stop talking, sheesh. I don't know whether you noticed it, she thought you were a demon by that look of hers."

Even with my excessive horrid complaining about ditching this lady, Aeris would not. And the next thing we know, we are marching off for the pharmacy. She runs well-ahead of me, and I stay behind, wandering the streets. I walk into the alley, where a huge wall of graffiti is. I wonder… what it's like to leave this place, pass this wall. _It must be beautiful…_

"_Reno… I had a dream about you last night."_

"_What was it, Chocobo? Was it sex?"_

"_Hmmm… maybe, and stop calling me that. I'm not a choc--"_

"_Hush," Reno kissed me on the lips, feverously. _

_He planted the many soft kisses down my neck and then my chest. I threw my head back, calling his name, Reno… Reno… Oh Reno… "Shut up, what did I tell you," he told me, stripped me of my clothes and then his own. The room was filled with a soft scent of strawberry, the "flavor" of the shampoo he uses. He called it flavor because it wasn't just the scent. If you tasted his hair, you'd know; I had done it many times. Aside from his flaming red hair, there's nothing noticeably visible in the room, he had turned off all the lights. I could get used to this._

_He had already lifted up my legs and was asking my permission. "Do you really need to ask?" All he gave me was a smile, a really sexy one. To be honest, the dream I had was nothing like this… It was filled with horror… Zack and me. I made a noise, "Nrggh." Oh, that felt good. His rhythm hastened as I groaned louder. "Hey, are you sure it's okay to do it here… I mean next door is where your boss is." He reassured me with, "do you really think he has no clue?" I smiled and realized how fast he was going. It was a little painful. "Mmmm, I'm coming Cloud!" He gave a scream of joy and he emptied himself inside me. He collapsed on top of me and that was that. And that to me was beautiful._

Aeris appears suddenly and breaks my chain of thoughts. "Hey! I gave her the medicine for her stomach and guess what! When I asked her whether she knew or not where to get perfume, she gave me this." Aeris sprays some of the cologne on me. Hmmm… I wonder if it's the same brand Reno uses… It awfully smells similar. "This cologne gives me a headache. I don't think you should use it now." Aeris complains.

We look for somewhere for her to sit down and we find a bench somewhere not far from where we were. "You okay?" I ask her. She gently nods and takes my shoulder as her pillow. I could not help, but feel a little… warm. "Hey Aeris, you wanna go take a nap somewhere? I bet we could find a place, let's go there, the owner might know," I point to some distant store. She resists but gives in after awhile. We walk in a store full of materia, and I ask him whether the store owner has some place for us to stay.

"Well, there's an Inn somewhere within this… _place_," he says, "actually, could you go there anyway for me? I need you to buy something for me from the vending machine in the Inn." We're talking about favors now, eh? "I'll give you something in return."

"Okay, what is it that you need?" I ask him.

"That's the thing. I don't know what it is. There are rumors about what you can buy from that vending machine. I don't want to be seen doing it, could you please do me that favor?" Talk about desperate.

"Alright sure, so I'll just go buy it and come back?" Aeris already dozing off.

"No, you have to sleep there to get access. You wanted to rest, no?"

"Yeah, thanks, I'll be back then." And we leave for the Inn. "Aeris, you feeling alright?" She reassures me with a "mmhmm". "Are you sure? I'm practically carrying you there."

"Oh sorry!" She suddenly jumps out of my arms. Her face blushes a crimson shade of red and continues walking ahead, well-ahead.

We finally arrive at the Inn and we ask for a night. 10 Gil upfront, hmm. "Sure, we could use the rest." We pay and we went to a room with two beds. Aeris falls asleep almost instantly, and I begin to wonder. I guess this is the time. I jump out of bed and left the room. I wander around the dark hallway, no windows, no light. "This could be a little tricky," I say to myself.

I slowly travel within the dark hallway and I run into a table counter, which on top, exists a lamp with no switch. "Why the heck do they put this here," I rub my hips where I hit the table. Charging up some magic, I cast bolt on the lamp and lo and behold! It turns on. Just a meter away from the lamp was the vending machine. I approach it and there are three items. "_Which one did he want?"_ I think. "_Well… he wasn't sure either, I'd just get the cheapest one_," which was for 50 Gil. Great, sold out. Gah. I press the 100 Gil button and nothing came out. What the hell? Damn it, gimme my Gil back, I smash the vending machine. I hear a clunk at the bottom of the machine. I reach in the opening and find a parcel. On it, is a label labeling 200 gil. Well, that was easy.

Without a warning, the bulb suddenly bursts, and where there was light is now no more. I hold the parcel close to my body and with difficulty, go back to my room, where I hear noises.

"Don't leave, Zack!" I hear from inside the room. Full of disbelief, I open the door and look in. There is no body, except Aeris with her eyes closed. "_Does she know Zack?"_ I say to myself. What do you mean by "don't leave"? I go onto my bed thinking that I'll ask her tomorrow, and my eyes slowly begin to close.

"_Zack! Zack! Tell me you're not dead!" I said the first thing as I woke up from being unconscious. "Zack!" I cried. I was holding the sword that Zack used to use. Why was I holding it? What's going on! It was too late. Zack's eyes were closed. Eyes on a face full of expression, of sorrow and grief. "Zack… who did this to you? Tell me! Tell me!" I said with anger. _

_No longer able to take the shock and pain, I fall on him, and there I fall asleep._

A/N: Read and enjoy! Please review.


	6. Making Ends Meet

Disclaimers: I wish FF7 was mine because Cloud and Reno would be all over each other.

Cloud: _I wish it was yours too._

Reno: mmhmm. Well said.

* * *

Chapter 6: Making Ends Meet

"Yo, this is where I sleep boss, do you mind giving me some privacy," I try to shoo him out.

"Reno, you know this building will eventually be mine, right?" Rufus gives me the who's-superior-talk.

"Damn it all, remember what happened last time you came in? All drunk?" I'm getting damned annoyed.

"Well," he walks closer, "are you saying that I can't roam around freely in my own building," he says as he begins to put his arms behind my back. "Reno… you know how much I want you." I try to resist, but little do I know, for his size, he's quite strong. He pulls me in for a kiss and I can do nothing to fight back. I let him kiss me…mmm.

I kiss him back fiercely and I pull him to bed. "Rufus, I've had it!" I literally rip off his clothes and pants and mouth him with no mercy.

"Nrgh!" Rufus moans, only adding to my ecstatic state. I take my clothes off with haste and without finishing the kiss, begin trailing down his neck and chest with rough kisses. I bite his shoulders and I receive a much loader moan with my name heard. "Take me, Reno, take me." It was just too tempting. Without hesitation, I put his manhood in my mouth. I go up and down on it and I can see Rufus's state of enjoyment. He throws his head back, _just like Cloud_, and I can hardly ignore that fact that they are so similar. Now, I use my hand too to help him reach orgasm and he, with a final moan, releases his juice into me. I don't swallow it; instead I go up to him and finish off the kiss I started, sharing the taste that I greedily took.

Just when it was about my turn, I hear a knock on the door. I hiss to Rufus, telling him to hide in the bathroom, but he already fell asleep. "Hold on," I yell, hoping that whoever is out there would not just barge in. I quickly put on my clothes, half-assed, and I open the door, leave the room, close the door behind, and say, "what's up, Tseng?"

"Boss, to you," Tseng retorts, "but nonetheless, I have a mission for you."

"This time of day?" I pout, hoping that he'd let me go.

"Night. Reno, this time of night, yes. It's rather important, so I'm sending you."

"Oh great, what is it?"

"I need you to go to Don Corneo. He's been acting a little weird lately. The Shinra needs to keep an eye on him."

"Huh, care to explain?"

"Well, certain 'Shinra-spy' isn't doing his job. He was hired to infiltr-- err-- spy on the AVALANCHE for us, but apparently he has done nothing yet. I need you to go there and tell him the impor-- let me put it this way, go and _show_ him who's the boss." Tseng says, using a language I can understand.

"Okay, so what I do is beat him up, and tell him to do his job?"

"You can put it that way."

"Got it. Tomorow?"

"Tonight."

"Tomorrow?"

"Fine, tomorrow."

"Good bye sir."

"Good bye," Tseng begins to leave, "Oh, whoever you have in there with you, keep it down. I can hear it all the way in my room."

"You wanna know who's in there?"

"No."

"Fine. Bye." I go back in my room and begin gathering my equipment. My EMR, glasses, and my own necklace. First thing in the morning, I'm ready. Oh, and of course, my keys. Like damn these locks are useful. Tseng, Rufus, and the President have access to my room, not to forget Cloud does too.

* * *

_It only occurred to me during my sleep that maybe Zack was Aeris' special somebody. It hurt__s to think about it, really. _

"Cloud! Cloud! Wake up, sleepy. They're kicking us out." Aeris screams at me, while packing the things we left in this room last night. Man, it looked so much better in the dark. At least then, I didn't notice the cracking walls, the hole in the ceiling, and the wooden floor separating beneath our feets.

We carry our stuff out, and not forgetting my parcel, we head out. A short walk, we head to the materia store, and I give the owner the parcel.

"Is this it? What is it?" Like heck I would know. "Oh, actually don't tell me. I'll find out myself." He crouches down, like he is looking for something, "Thanks for your help. By the way, you look stunning." He is talking about Aeris, no? I turn around and Aeris isn't even in here. Talk about embarassing!

"Uhh, thanks..." To the best of my ability, I use a girly voice. He hands me over a tiara, something to make me look sexier, apparently, the way he puts it. I thank him again… despite my unwillingness to talk and I leave the shop. Only a few steps and Aeris is outside giggling. "What's so funny!"

"Did you see his cheeks go red? I think you're ready for the Don." She grins at me.

"You really think so?"

"Mmhmm… good!" She mimics a commercial. How childish. "Oh wait… What are you wearing underneath… what if he gets into your pants!" She laughs in great enjoyment, while I tell her what I'm _really_ wearing. "That's hardly any good," she says, "and there is only one place to get the sexiest piece of undergarment, and oooh! Talk about makeup!"

"Come on, do we really need to go through this, even the materia shop owner thought I was a girl, ya?"

"Or, he's into girly guys; you never know, really."

"Ok, ok, I get your point."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!" I practically yell at her.

"Well, let's go then, _Ms._ Strife."

"… To where?" We head to the very south end of the town, and that was when I finally realize her point.

"Here we are. The Honey Bee Inn." She smiles.

"Do you come here often?" I give her a smirk.

"I bet you come here more often than I do."

"So you **do** come here!" I laugh wholeheartedly.

"Oh you got me, but let's get to the point." She evasively murmurs. "You're going in alone, just say you're here to meet somebody inside. With your _hot_ looks, I'm sure they'll let you in. If not, you'll just have to do them a _favor_."

So I do what she tells me but of course, I need to change into my old clothes. I stand there for quite some time, figuring out how to obtain a membership card. It isn't long until I realize that one was carelessly dropped. Pretending that _I_, the mighty, dropped it, I walk slowly over and pick it up off the floor. And with no time wasted, I walk in.

This place is filthy, although it is somewhat decorative. Filled with others here, I walk casually into one of the five rooms, namely the one marked: &# Room.

"Uhhhh," I hear a voice.

"Who's that!" Something was struggling in the corner… he looks like me. I begin talking to myself.

"Hmm…? You…?"

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

"That's what I want to ask you. Should you be foolin' around here?"

"You think problems will just go away just thinkin' about them?"

And I black out… but the voice continues…

"You can't change anything by just sitting back and looking at it."

"Nrggh… What are you saying?" I say.

"It's started moving."

"… What has?"

"Wake up! Wake up!!"

I wake up and find Reno on top of me.

* * *

A/N: Please read and review! You have no idea how reviews make me happy :. **And to be honest, I'm actually sorry about this part. In the game, I actually didn't get Cloud picked. I KNOW I'M SORRY. I LOVE CLOUD TOO. But I jsut didn't... so most of the dialogue is made up (that's good no?) And the &# scene is totally remade :) for the good of course.**


	7. Long Time

… I am terribly-ly-ly-ly-ly sorry I have like… not updated in ten thousand years. But you have to blame windows. I upgraded the service pack and my computer didn't even turn on. Reformat and my One-shot of Reno and Cloud went poof.

But, because the one-shot is not related to this at all , I'll just continue this story. And by the way, when this story isn't told by Cloud or Reno, it's in the third person. Anyway… Disclaimers please.

Wakka: Get out if you d--

Medicca: Wait. Who's this? What the hell?

Rufus: Umm he's another cast member.. of another story of yours… that will be done… sooner of later, as you see fit.

Medicca: Umm what? … What story!! looks to side Reno?

Reno: Oh… is it like one of those speeches that people make when they disown their children?

Medicca: …

Reno: I mean. (looks at sheet of paper) nounderagedkidsduetocontentnoflamingifyoudontlikereadingthisgetout.

Medicca: Here is Chapter 7, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: "Long time"

Aeris patiently waits outside, wondering what is taking Cloud so long. Just stealing a piece of lingerie and put some make up on… She grows more impatient as each second passes and after waiting for 30 or so minutes, she attempts to go in. But of course, as with any other girl, entrance to this gay brothel where guys steal lingerie to look sexy is purely restricted, unless you work there. It is common sense that they hire "Honey Bee Girls" as workers because the customers would not be attracted to them; instead, they would go inside and be serviced by … "others" with similar interest. And yes, this is supposed to mean pure, top quality service.

But even with this in her mind, getting accepted to work there, still, would not be a one-day thing. She would have to wait a few days and run a few tests. Well, she's definitely hoping that Cloud would not take anymore longer than he already has, let alone a few more days. So, all she can do is hope, hope that Cloud would come out when she turns around for the 28th time.

* * *

I wake up and find Reno on top of me. I recognize him, even though it is really, REALLY, REALLY dark because of his flaming red hair with _the_ strawberry scent that I can still smell even with the overwhelming alcoholic breath of his. I don't think he recognizes me in this drunken state… well probably for the better. "Reno…?" He doesn't seem to hear me… or if he did, he's good at pretending otherwise. What was he doing in here anyway? I push him off myself and quietly got off the bed. Not wanting to brighten the room to wake him up, I wander around the room, staring at the floor, looking for a slit of light that would enter from underneath the door.

Before I could reach the door, the sheets on the bed rustles as Reno starts to move about. "WHO IS IT!?" Reno barks. He reaches for his EMR which was placed on the bedside table. It flashes a bright light that does not last for long, only as long as it takes him to realize who is standing near the door. "Cloud…?"

"Uhh… Hi Reno. _Long time_."

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" He asks as if he is free from guilt. What am I supposed to say? "Well?" He repeats as if I needed it.

"Nothing," I say lamely, "And yourself?" A silence emerges and it stays quiet for a minute or two. I suddenly remember what I really was here for. With my keen photographic memory, the flash of light earlier revealed the pieces of random clothing lying on the couch. _Well, who knows how it got there_.

I slowly walk towards where they were and begin feeling the clothing. I take the sexiest I could feel and begin heading for the door. "I gotta go," I tell him. He doesn't respond so I leave the room, pretending to not care whether or not he answered. And back into the hallway I enter and finally glance at what I picked up. _Wow, this __**really**__ is sexy_. Well… good enough for the Don!

I head over to the make up room and I ask the Honey Bee Girls to give me the best they got. The Girls are pretty nice in doing their job. They make you comfortable and all that, almost too comfortable. But sometimes, it's good to have the attention.

It takes them a while to finish, and the whole time, I had my eyes closed. "You're done!" She says, and I open my eyes. Now now, if I didn't know better, I'm sure there's a girl in the mirror I'm looking at. Looking good, I say thanks and creep out the room. I follow the carpet trail that will eventually lead me to the stairs and I go down the flight of stairs, leaving the building. As I leave, the receptionist, a guy, gave me a wink and says, "Off work? I'll see you tomorrow." At least I can be certain people will mistake me for a girl.

* * *

I was stumped when he asked me what I was doing here. I couldn't just tell him what I'm really here for. Well, even if I did tell that chocobo, he wouldn't believe me. _Sigh… Why did he have to find me here_?

My chain of thoughts breaks when the phone rings with the "Tseng-alert ringtone" that signals my boss calling me. "Tseng?" I hear a few seconds of static.

"Reno, report back immediately, we're dropping the mission you have."

"…"

"…"

"What…?"

"Details later, report back immediately on the double!" And he hangs up.

Well, that was _prime_…

_Meanwhile…_

"Where were you?! That took longer than it should have… I could have labored a baby by that time." Aeris complains. I don't blame her… that _did_ take a little longer than expected. But why did she have to include babies into this conversation. I give her a frown.

"I'm ready now, at least. Let's go at about midnight."

* * *

_Grr… Gaia… I just got to Wall Market and now I have to go. Couldn't even take Cloud back with me._ I fly the helicopter back to Shinra and I stomp into the meeting room of the Turks. As angry as I was and about to slam the door, I hold my composure, "So, what's the hurry?"

"Sit down, Reno." My boss barks. That jerk! "Reno, the meeting has been going for 54 minutes and about 52 seconds. Where were you? I told you to come back ASAP."

"Uhmm…" _No don't say it… don't say it!_ "I was paying a visit to the Don." _Good lie!_

"Reno, let's not do that in here. I've just contacted the Don about our plan. We informed him about this being his last chance. And by the way, he reported that he did not see you at all, Reno." Tseng says in a matter-of-factly fashion. _Bad lie…_

"Sorry Sir." I say it as everybody snickers, even Elena who usually is always on my side; but apparently not right now, because she needs to suck that manlihood of Tseng _badly_.

"Anyway, as we have planned, we are launching an attack against the AVALANCHE." My heart stops a beat as he says it. "The time and date will be two hundred next morning. We will be the _sharp_ and activate the destruction."

"Wait, what is going on?" I interrupt.

"You would know if you were here. Meeting adjourned." Tseng finishes as everybody pick up their laptops and gadgets, while I sit in awe.

"Let's go, I'll fill you in, Reno." Elena offers. She pulls me up and it's just the two of us in here. "Reno… I know what you're feeling, but Tseng has already made orders, confirmed with the President to launch the attack."

"…"

"I think… you should sleep early, like now. We'll be getting ready at eleven hundred for the strike. Good night Reno."

"…"

She leaves.

_Well… I guess this wouldn't be too bad. It'll show Cloud which side to be on._

* * *

A/N: Again, sorry for the late update. Please review!


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